German trade fairs bring buyers from all over the world into one hall. For a company flying in, the hard part is the organisation around it. This guide walks through the steps in order, from choosing the fair to the material you take home.
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Germany hosts many international fairs that serve as the main meeting point of their industry. Most of them are run by a handful of large organisers: Messe Düsseldorf, Messe Frankfurt, Deutsche Messe in Hannover, Messe München, Koelnmesse, Messe Berlin, NürnbergMesse and Messe Stuttgart. For an exporter the question is not which fair is biggest, but where your buyers, distributors and competitors actually meet.
A few examples by sector: medical technology meets at MEDICA in Düsseldorf, industrial automation and energy at HANNOVER MESSE, electronic components at electronica in Munich, car parts and workshop equipment at Automechanika Frankfurt, tableware, kitchen and home at Ambiente, food and beverages at Anuga and sweets and snacks at ISM in Cologne. Metalworking has EuroBLECH in Hannover and ALUMINIUM in Düsseldorf, the glass industry has glasstec. Some important shows, such as bauma, K or interpack, only take place every few years, so check the cycle before you plan a budget.
Before you apply, study the exhibitor list and hall plan of the last edition, and ask two or three existing customers in Europe which fair they really visit. The trade fair calendar lists upcoming dates by city.
German organisers work with fixed deadlines and written processes. The usual order:
If your country's trade promotion agency or an industry association organises a national pavilion, joining it is often the easiest way to start: application, stand construction and many services come as one package, and you share the space with other companies from home. Ask about it before you apply on your own.
There are three ways to build your stand (booth): a package stand from the organiser, a modular system stand from a stand builder, or a custom build. For companies organising from abroad, the first two keep coordination manageable, because you cannot check anything on site before build-up day. If you work with a custom stand builder, ask for a rendering early, agree who from your side is present at build-up, and approve the finished stand in writing before you fly.
Exhibits, samples and brochures travel with a freight forwarder or with the official forwarder of the venue, who knows the delivery windows and can store empty crates during the show. Goods from outside the EU need customs clearance. For samples and equipment that go back home after the show, an ATA Carnet can simplify temporary import; in many countries it is issued by the chamber of commerce. Food, cosmetics, medical products and electrical equipment may be subject to extra rules. Clarify the requirements with your forwarder and the organiser in good time.
Keep a small stock of things that are hard to buy at short notice: printed material, spare cables and adapters for German sockets (type F, 230 volts), a basic toolkit and business cards. Most shops are closed on Sundays, which matters when build-up falls on a weekend.
Check early whether your team members need a Schengen visa. That depends on nationality, and appointments at embassies and visa centres can become scarce before large fairs. Reliable information is on the websites of the German Federal Foreign Office and of the German mission in your country; our guide Visas and travel for German trade fairs explains the general process.
Hotels near the venue fill up early in the week of a major show, and prices rise. Many exhibitors stay in a neighbouring city and commute by train: for a fair in Düsseldorf, Essen, Duisburg or Cologne are realistic options. Check whether your exhibitor pass includes local public transport, as it does at many German venues.
For the stand team, fluent English is the minimum at an international fair; one German speaker helps with smaller local distributors and with hall staff. Plan shifts, and brief everyone on appointments and follow-up. German trade visitors tend to arrive with prepared questions and expect a precise answer or a clear promise of when it will follow. More on this in German trade fair culture.
For a company that travels far, the show week is expensive and short. What remains afterwards is leads and material: stand photos for the website and for distributors, conversation photos for LinkedIn, a short film for the home market and for sales presentations. If nobody is responsible for it, the team flies home with phone pictures taken in hall light.
A local crew removes the need to bring your own camera team, with visas and customs papers for the equipment. Pixer works at the venues in Düsseldorf, Cologne, Essen, Frankfurt, Hannover, Munich and other German cities, in English, German, Arabic and Persian. Packages have fixed prices from €990 for two hours. Delivery is within 24 hours after the event ends, with first photos usually on the same day, so the material is ready before your flight home. Companies from outside the EU are invoiced without German VAT, EU companies under reverse charge with a VAT ID. Details for international teams on Photo and video for international exhibitors.
The complete list of tasks is in the trade fair checklist for exhibitors.
Choose the show where your buyers and distributors meet, and check whether it runs every year.
Services, passes, approvals and deadlines are all in there. Read it the week it arrives.
Official forwarder, delivery windows, customs clearance and, for samples, possibly an ATA Carnet.
Start as soon as the stand is confirmed. The checklist of the German mission is binding.
Book meetings before the show. German visitors expect precise answers and reliable follow-up.
Photos and a short film delivered within 24 hours, before your flight home.
Generally not. Organisers accept foreign exhibitors directly; the conditions are in the application documents. Some companies join a national pavilion or work with a partner in Germany to make the organisation easier.
For large fairs, planning often starts many months ahead, and some shows keep waiting lists. The organiser publishes the application deadline on the fair website. Add time for visas and shipping.
English at an international fair. German versions of the key product information help with buyers from Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Keep the back wall short and readable from the aisle.
Depending on your country and the type of cost, foreign companies can often apply for a refund at the Federal Central Tax Office (Bundeszentralamt für Steuern), for example for hotel invoices. Ask your tax adviser. Pixer invoices companies from outside the EU without German VAT in the first place.
Pixer works with fixed packages: Basic €990 for 2 hours, Professional €1,490 for 4 hours, Full Day €1,990 for 8 hours, plus VAT where it applies. Travel within North Rhine-Westphalia is included.
Yes. With one crew for several shows, the visual style and the shot list stay consistent, and the brief only has to be worked out once in detail.
Exhibiting in Germany for the first time? Send us the fair, hall and dates, and we will tell you which package fits and when the files reach your head office.
We reply within 24 hours. During a show week, WhatsApp is fastest.
